Master ratchet and slave catch for latches of motor vehicles

ABSTRACT

A latch for a closure panel of a vehicle, the latch comprising: a housing; a ratchet mounted to the housing for releasably securing a striker in a slot; a catch mounted to the housing for releasably securing a secondary striker; and a linkage connecting the catch to the ratchet; wherein the ratchet and the catch move in tandem with one another via the linkage.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from the benefit of the filing date ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/031,271 filed on May 28,2020, entitled “MASTER RATCHET AND SLAVE CATCH FOR LATCHES OF MOTORVEHICLES”, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to door systems for motorvehicles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to anopening system to operate a vehicle door.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to door systems formotor vehicles which is not necessarily prior art to the inventiveconcepts associated with the present disclosure.

Many pick-up trucks include a passenger cab having a rear seatpositioned behind a front row of seats for accommodating additionalpassengers. These pick-up trucks typically include a third or fourthrear door located directly behind a front door to aid passengers whenentering and exiting the rear seats. The rear door also providesconvenient access to the space behind the front row of seats duringloading and unloading of items. In certain pick-up trucks, the front andrear doors swing open in opposite directions from one another,historically referred to as a “clamshell design”.

The trend of vehicle design is to improve accessibility and this can beaccommodated for by eliminating the B pillar and/or in situations whereadequate support portions of the vehicle body are minimized (e.g. forsliding cargo doors). Unfortunately, on a vehicle with no B-pillar,during a frontal crash the roof of the vehicle tends to be displacedupwards (i.e. buckles upwards). This buckling can exert excessive loadson the latch, thus precipitating undesirable unlatching of the latchduring the crash, especially in these situations where the B-pillar islacking or where adequate support portions of the vehicle body areminimized.

A typical solution to account for buckling is to add catcher pins,however, some latch packaging does not allow enough room for these pins.Further, the kinematics of door swing may not allow the use of thecatcher pins to work as desired during the crash.

While current door systems are sufficient to meet all regulatoryrequirements and provide the desired levels of comfort and convenience,a need exists to continue development of advanced technology and providealternative arrangements and features that provide enhanced safety,comfort and convenience to the user. Especially whereby additionalequipment can be provided to enhance and thus address safety concernsfor operation of conventional equipment.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the inventive conceptsassociated with the present disclosure. Accordingly, this section is notintended to be interpreted as a comprehensive and exhaustive listing ofall features, aspects, objectives and/or advantages associated with theinventive concepts which are further described and illustrated in thefollowing detailed description and the appended drawings.

It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide a latchingsystem for a closure panel of a vehicle.

An aspect provided is a latch for a closure panel of a vehicle, thelatch comprising: a housing; a ratchet mounted to the housing forreleasably securing a striker in a slot; a catch mounted to the housingfor releasably securing a secondary striker; and a linkage connectingthe catch to the ratchet; wherein the ratchet and the catch move intandem with one another via the linkage.

A second aspect provided is a method of opening a latch for a closurepanel of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: releasing aratchet mounted to a housing of the latch in order to unconstrain theratchet from a striker; moving the ratchet in tandem with a catch inorder to unconstrain the catch from a secondary striker, the catchmounted to the housing such that movement of the catch is coupled tomovement of the ratchet by a linkage; and unlatching the latch bydisplacing the striker from the ratchet while also displacing thesecondary striker from the catch.

A third aspect provided is a method of closing a latch for a closurepanel of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: entering astriker in to a slot of a ratchet, the ratchet mounted to a housing ofthe latch in order to constrain the striker when latched; moving theratchet in tandem with a catch in order to constrain a secondary strikerby the catch, the catch mounted to the housing such that movement of thecatch is coupled to movement of the ratchet by a linkage; and releasablylatching the latch by inhibiting further movement of the ratchet inconjunction with inhibiting further movement of the catch by thelinkage, thereby constraining the striker by the ratchet while alsoconstraining the secondary striker by the catch.

Further aspects provided are: a cinch mechanism having a cinch armconfigured to operate the ratchet from a partially closed position to afully closed position; cinch arm is coupled to the ratchet via a cinchlever arm; the cinch arm is coupled to the striker via a cinch leverarm; the cinch arm is coupled to the catch via a cinch lever arm; aplurality of the catches, such that each of the catches are configuredto constrain a respective one of a plurality of the secondary strikers;the ratchet is a master ratchet and the catch is a slave ratchet; andthe latch further comprises a controller for operating a correspondingactuator to assist in movement of the master ratchet.

FIGURES

The drawings described herein are provided to illustrate selected, atleast one non-limiting embodiment associated with the present disclosureand are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1a is a side view of a motor vehicle;

FIG. 1b is an alternative embodiment of the vehicle of FIG. 1 a;

FIG. 2 a, b, c, d show alternate operational views of doors of thevehicle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3a, b are side views of an example embodiment of a latch of themotor vehicle of FIG. 1 including a cinch mechanism;

FIG. 4 is an perspective view of a latching system for the motor vehicleof FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 a, 10 b are alternate views and operationalstates of the latch of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the latch of FIG. 10b in a latchedstate;

FIG. 12 is a further embodiment of the latch of FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 13a, 13b are example operations of the latch of FIG. 4.

Corresponding reference numerals are used to indicate correspondingcomponents throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings. To this end, the example embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully conveyits intended scope to those who are skilled in the art. Accordingly,numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specificcomponents, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding ofembodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed,that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms, andthat neither should be construed to limit the scope of the presentdisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes,well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are notdescribed in detail.

In the following detailed description, the expression “latch assembly”will be used to generally, as an illustrative example, indicate anypower-operated latch device adapted for use with a vehicle closure panelto provide at least a power release and/or cinching feature.Additionally, the expression “door” will be used to indicate any elementmoveable between an open position and at least one closed position,respectively opening and closing an access to an inner compartment of amotor vehicle and therefore includes, without limitations, deck lids,tailgates, lift gates, bonnet lids, and sunroofs in addition to thesliding or pivoting side passenger doors of a motor vehicle to which thefollowing description will make explicit reference, purely by way ofexample.

Referring to FIG. 1 a, a vehicle 10 includes two primary doors 12 (oneshown) and one or more secondary (e.g. rear or third) door(s) 14directly rearward thereto for providing access to a passengercompartment 16. Illustratively as shown in FIG. 1A, the vehicle 10 isconfigured with a B-pillarless door configuration without a B-pillarpositioned between the front door 12 and the rear door 14. In theembodiments shown, the vehicle 10 can be a car or a utility vehicle suchas a van, as desired, such that the secondary door 14 is hinged to avehicle body 9. Referring to FIG. 1 b, shown is the vehicle 10 as autility vehicle, e.g. a minivan, having a sliding version of thesecondary door 14 mounted on the body 9 via a sliding track 11′.Referring again to FIG. 1 a, the front/primary door 12 is mounted (e.g.hinges 11) along an A-pillar 17 and the rear door 14 is mounted (e.g.hinges 11) along a C-pillar 18, thereby obviating the need for aB-pillar between the A-pillar 17 and the C-pillar 18. The primary door12 and the secondary door 14 can open in opposite or alternatedirections (e.g. hinged vs. sliding in terms of FIG. 3) to allowindividuals to comfortably enter and exit a rear portion of thepassenger compartment 16. In addition, easy loading and unloading ofitems into and out of the rear portion of the passenger compartment 16can be provided when the primary 12 and secondary 14 doors are bothopen.

Handle assemblies, generally indicated at 22, are fixedly secured to thedoors 12, 14 and are disposed adjacent a forward vertical edge 24thereof. The handle assemblies 22 can be each operatively coupled totheir respective (e.g. upper) door latches 26, 28, hereafter referred toas first latch 26 and second latch 28 of multiple latches 25 (e.g. twoor more latches), by links 33 a (e.g. Bowden cables), hereafter referredto generically as links 33. Further, the latches 26, 28 can be referredto as a pair of latches 25. The handles 22 can be used to operate theirrespective latches 25 via concurrent operation of respective links 33.The latches 26, 28 can be mounted on a body 9 of the vehicle 10, asfurther described below, in conjunction with their respective strikers26′, 28′ mounted on the door 12, 14. Alternatively, the latches 26, 28can be mounted on the door 12, 14 and the strikers 26′, 28′ can bemounted on the body 9, as desired.

For example, in activation of the latches 25 (see FIGS. 3a, 3b forexample configuration of latch components 23′, the handle 22 can have amicroswitch provided thereon to detect an activation of the handle 22can be electrically coupled (shown as dotted line link 33 in FIGS. 1a, b) directly to, or indirectly via a controller (e.g. a latch controller36 coupled to an actuator 36—e.g. an electric motor) to control theoperation of the latches 25 for a power release operation to actuaterelease levers moving the pawl(s) 25′ from a ratchet(s) 24′ holdingposition to a ratchet(s) 24′ release position (see FIGS. 3a, 3b ).

Referring to FIGS. 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d , the doors 12,14 are shown in variousstates of open and close, independently, as facilitated by operation oftheir respective latches 26, 28.

Referring to FIG. 4, shown is a further embodiment of the latches 25, byexample described using reference numerals (e.g. 26, 26′, etc.) for thelatch 26 of the door 12. However, it is recognized that the latch 25shown in FIG. 4 could also be used to describe the corresponding similarlatch components 23′ for the latch 28 of the door 14. In general, thelatch 25 (referring to either latch 26, 28 generically) has a housing 37with a housing portion 37 a connected thereto. The housing portion 37 ahas a pivot 62 for connecting a catch 24 a having a hook portion 68, forinteracting with a secondary striker 26 a. In other words, the catch 24a pivots about pivot 62 in order to position the hook 68 towards or away(see FIG. 9) from the secondary striker 26 a. Based on the position ofthe catch 24 a about the pivot 62, the catch 24 a will either act toconstrain the secondary striker 26 a with the hook 68 (see FIG. 4) orthe catch 24 a will act to provide for the secondary striker 26 a to beunconstrained by the hook 68 (see FIG. 9). Latch 25 may be provided onthe bottom rocker panel of the vehicle 10 and/or on the top sill of thevehicle 10, on the top and/or bottom portions of the door 12, 14, or maybe provided on one of the doors 12, 14 for engagement with a primarystriker 26′ and a secondary striker 26 a provided on the other of thedoors 12, 14, as shown in phantom outline in FIG. 1A, as illustrativeexamples.

Referring again to FIG. 9, shown is a linkage 60 connected to the catch24 a (e.g. about the pivot 62) at one end 70 and to the ratchet 24′ atanother end 72 (see FIG. 4). The end 72 can be coupled to the ratchet24′ at a connection 66 via a pin 64. During operation, the ratchet 24′rotates about shaft 50 (connected to the housing 37), causing the end 72of the linkage 60 to move conjointly with the movement of the ratchet24′. As the end 72 moves, the end 70 of linkage 60 is rotated about thepivot 62. As the catch 24 a is connected to the end 70, the catch 24 ais also rotated about the pivot 62 as the linkage is rotated about thepivot 62. Accordingly, the ratchet 24′ and the catch 24 a are rotatedconjointly, thus providing for the striker 26′ to become unconstrainedby a slot 3′ of the ratchet 24′ and the secondary striker 26 a to becomeunconstrained by the hook 68 of the catch 24 a. When unconstrained, thestriker 26′ and the secondary striker 26 a are removed from the vicinityof the latch 25 when the door 12 is open (see FIGS. 2b, 2d ). On thecontrary, when constrained, the striker 26′ and the secondary striker 26a are adjacent to the vicinity of the latch 25 when the door 12 isclosed (see FIGS. 2a, 2c ). As shown in FIGS. 2 a, b, c, d, the doors12, 14 and their corresponding latches 26, 28 can be operatedindependently of one another. Further, it is recognized that the latches26, 28 can each have their respective catch 24 a, linkage 60 andconnection 66 to their ratchet 24′.

Referring to FIGS. 5, 8, shown is the generic latch 25 (e.g.representing latches 26, 28) in a locked state, such that the door 12,14 is in the closed position (see FIG. 2a by example). The hook 68 ofthe catch 24 a can optionally remain disengaged from the secondarystriker 26 a (e.g. adjacent but not in direct contact) such that a path(e.g. when the door is attempts to open) of the secondary striker 26 ais constrained by the hook 68. Further, the ratchet 24′ can engage thestriker 26′ in the slot 3′, in order to retain the latch 25 in thelocked state. Further, it is recognized that the pivot 62 of the catch24 a can be aligned with the shaft 50 of the ratchet 24′ (see centerlineaxis CL of FIG. 7).

FIG. 6 shows the latch 25 in a front perspective view, in a lockedstate, such that the secondary striker 26 a (e.g. a path thereof) isconstrained by the hook 68 of the catch 24 a while at the same time thesecondary striker 26 a is disengaged (e.g. not in contact or otherwisespaced apart from the hook 68) from the catch 24 a. FIG. 7 shows a rearperspective view of the latch 25 in the locked state. Referring to FIG.11, shown is an example of the secondary striker 26 a being constrainedbut disengaged (i.e. spaced apart by distance d) from the hook 68 of thecatch 24 a. In other words, an exterior surface 72 of the secondarystriker 26 a remains spaced apart (by distance d) and out of contactwith an adjacent surface 74 of the hook 68.

FIGS. 10, 10 b show the latch 25 in an unlatched/unlocked state, suchthat the striker 26′ is unconstrained by the ratchet 24′ and thesecondary striker 26′ is unconstrained by the catch 24 a.

Upon actuation of the handle assembly 22 (or other unlatching mechanismas coordinated by the actuator 36 once controlled—e.g. via activation bya FOB, etc.) when the primary door 12 is closed (see FIGS. 2a , 4), suchthat the striker 26′ is constrained and engaged with the ratchet 24′ andthe secondary striker 26 a is constrained (e.g. but disengaged—not incontact) with the catch 24 a. The ratchet 24′ and the catch 24 a arethen conjointly moved, e.g. rotated) to thus unconstrain the striker 26′and the secondary striker 26 a to result in unlatching of the latch 25(see FIGS. 2d , 9) to facilitate opening the door 12. Thus, the striker26′ and the secondary striker 26 a (mounted on the vehicle body 9) ofdoor 12 are releasably constrained with corresponding ratchet 24′, catch24 a to releasably hold the door 12 in the closed position.

As further discussed below, the latches 25 can include a cinchingfeature as described by example with reference to FIGS. 3a and 3b . Itis recognized that the actuator 36 (e.g. electric motor) can be operatedto implement the cinching function via operation of the door handle 22,via operation of a key fob, via operation of one or more controls (e.g.buttons) located in the interior of the vehicle 10, and/or via one ormore position sensors for sensing when the door 12 is positioned in thecinching position (e.g. based on a position sensor, such as a halleffect sensor, sensing the ratchet 24′ has reached a secondary ratchetposition).

Referring to FIGS. 3a and 3b , shown is an example of a latch 25containing latch components 23′ (e.g. ratchet 24′, pawl 25′, optionalcinch mechanism 2). Note that the catch 24 a and the secondary striker26 a have been removed for exemplary descriptive purposes only. In thismanner, the cinch mechanism 2 of the latch 25 can be used to forcefullyprovide, during deployment, some form of force assisted open operation(e.g. full open, partial open, etc.) of the door 12,14 and/or some formof force assisted close operation (e.g. full open, partial open, etc.)of the door 12,14, during opening/closing of the door 12,14. Forexample, an actuator (not shown) can be coupled to a cinch arm 20′ via alink 33 and also to one or more latch components 23′ (e.g. ratchet 24′and/or pawl 25′). As such, the cinch arm 20′ can be actuated to operatethe latch 25 from a partially closed position (e.g. secondary latchedposition) to a fully closed position (e.g. primary latched position), asthe cinch arm 20′ can be coupled to the ratchet 24′ via a cinch leverarm 21′. It is also recognized that the link 33 can be provided as arigid linkage rather than as a flexible linkage involving cables. Forexample, the link 33 can be embodied as a sector gear (or other seriesof rigid members) connected to the cinch arm 20′ and/or the cinch lever21′ at one end of the link 33. It is also recognized that the cinch arm20′ can be configured to act directly on the striker 26′ or secondarystriker 26 a, as desired, in order to perform the cinch operation on thelatch 25.

Referring again to FIGS. 3a, 3b , the latch 25 includes the number oflatch elements 23′ (e.g. ratchet 24′, cinch lever 21′ and pawl 25′) thatare configured to cooperate with the striker 26′) in order to retain thestriker 26′ within a slot 3′ when the door 12,14 is in the closedposition (e.g. locked), or otherwise to drive the striker 26′ out of theslot 3′ when the door 12,14 is in the open position (e.g. as part of adoor presenting or ice breaking function). The fish mouth or slot 3′ issized for receiving the striker 26′ therein, in other words the slot 3′of the latch 25 is configured for receiving a keeper (e.g. striker 26′).The slot 3′ has an open top end and a closed bottom end as shown. Thelatch elements 23′ of the ratchet 24′ and pawl 25′ are pivotally securedto a frame plate 14′ of the housing 37 via respective shafts 50, 52. Thecinch arm 20′ pivots about pivot 54. The ratchet 24′ includes an arm 30′and arm 32′ spaced apart to define a generally u-shaped slot therebetween (e.g. a hook of arm 30′ and a lip of arm 32′ that extendslaterally beyond the hook). Note that in FIG. 3b the latch 25 withassociated ratchet 24′ is shown in the fully or primary closed position(e.g. facilitating the retention of the striker 26′ within the slot 3′).

Referring to FIGS. 3a and 3b , the latch components 23′ can include anumber of biasing elements (for example springs), such as a ratchetbiasing element (not shown) that biases rotation of the ratchet 24′about the shaft 50 to drive the striker 26′ out of the slot 3′ (thusmoving the door 12,14 towards the open position), pawl biasing element(not shown) that biases rotation of the pawl 25′ about the shaft 52 toretain the ratchet 24′ in the closed position (i.e. restrict rotation ofthe ratchet 24′ about the shaft 52 under the influence of the ratchetbiasing element), cinch biasing element (not shown) that can biasrotation of the cinch lever 21′ towards an un-cinched position for theratchet 24′ about shaft 50 and linkage biasing element (not shown) thatbiases return of the link 33 towards an un-cinched position of theratchet 24′. During operation of the cinch mechanism 2, actuation of thelink 33 causes the attached cinch lever 21′ and attached cinch arm 20′to be moved, thereby rotating the ratchet 24′ about the shaft 50 towardsand into the cinched position C, thus positioning the striker 26′ in thefully closed position in the slot 3′ of the latch 25 (see FIG. 3b ).

In view of the above, it is recognized that the vehicle 10 can beembodied as having a B-pillarless door 12, 14 that has a latch 25positioned at a top of the door 12,14. During a crash the roof 9 a (seeFIG. 1a ) may buckle causing higher than normal loads compared to a door12, 14 with a B-pillar (recognizing that the presence of the B-pillarcan resist roof 9 a buckling). As such, the latch 25 including thesecondary striker 26 a and the catch 24 a provides increased coupling(i.e. releasable) between the door 12, 14 and the vehicle body 9.

As discussed above, the provision of the ratchet 24′ and the tandem(e.g. slave to the master ratchet 24′) catch 24 a is advantageous. Thecatch 24 a is also moveable with the ratchet 24′ and can act as a secondratchet 24 a by constraining opening of the door 12,14 by the secondarystriker 26 a. It is recognized that the secondary striker 26 a can beseparate (e.g. separate striker loop) from the striker 26′ (see FIG. 4)or can be configured as one integral striker 26 a′ (e.g. a singlestriker loop), see FIG. 12.

Further, the catch 24 a can be mounted to a separate housing portion 37a to the vehicle body 9 alongside the existing latch housing 37. Theratchet 24′ is connected to the catch 24 a by means of a connection 66(e.g. pin 64) via a linkage 60 to provide for both the catch 24 a andthe ratchet 24′ to rotate/move in tandem with respect to the striker26′/secondary striker 26 a. Further, the shaft 50 and the pivot 62 canbe aligned (or otherwise in close alignment with one another) to helpminimize lost motion at the shaft 50/pivot 62.

In operation, when the door 12, 14 closes, the striker 26′ contacts theratchet 24′ which rotates and causes the catcher 24 a (e.g. auxiliaryratchet 24 a) to move (via the linkage 60) in tandem. At the same time,the secondary striker 26 a is also entering the catch 24 a and the catch24 a rotates about the secondary striker 26 a in order to constrain thesecondary striker 26 a (e.g. without contact between the adjacentsurfaces 72, 74—see FIG. 11).

Similarly, if the main ratchet 24′ is released (e.g. by movement of thepawl 25′—see FIGS. 3a, 3b ) and the striker 26′ exits the slot 3′ of theratchet 24′, so will the secondary striker 26 a exit the catch 24 a(e.g. without contacting the catch 24 a). In other words, the mainratchet 24′ and the secondary ratchet 24 a are connected so as to rotatein tandem, and for example in response to disengagement of a pawl 25′,such as a single pawl 25′, from the main ratchet 24′. In other words,the main ratchet 24′ and the secondary ratchet 24 a are connected so asto inhibit rotation of the other ratchet, and for example in response toholding engagement of a single pawl 25′ with the main ratchet 24. Asingle pawl 25′ therefore is provided to hold both the main ratchet 24′and the secondary ratchet 24 a, and a single activation of the pawl 25′is required to facilitate both the main ratchet 24′ and the secondaryratchet 24 a to move simultaneously from the locked position (see FIG. 6for example) to the releasing position (see FIG. 10b for example). Alatch 25 having a single frame plate 14′, the frame plate 14′ formounting to one of a vehicle door 12, 14 and a vehicle body 10, and formounting a main ratchet 24′ and a secondary ratchet 24 a coupled to eachother for synchronized rotation is provided, wherein the main ratchet24′ and a secondary ratchet 24 a are for each engaging with a striker26′, 26 a mounted to the other one of the vehicle door and the vehiclebody 10, or to another vehicle door, such that the release of the mainratchet 24′ and a secondary ratchet 24 a from a locked state to anunlocked state facilitates the vehicle door to move away from thevehicle body and/or the another vehicle door. Therefore, two strikersreleaseably engageable with the latch 25 can be provided between a door12, 14 and the vehicle body 10, or between two doors e.g. between door12 and door 14 as examples. In general, the alignment of the secondarystriker 26 a in the catch 24 a (e.g. constrained by the hook 68) whenthe door 12, 14 is closed is offset (providing the constrained) so thatin the event of a crash the force generated by the secondary striker 26a on the catch 24 a generates a closing moment to keep the catch 24 a inplace (i.e. constraining the secondary striker 26 a by the hook 68. Itis recognized that both the catch 24 a and the ratchet 24′ can cooperateduring a crash to inhibit the door 12, 14 from opening.

For example, the latch 25 can be configured as having a master ratchet24′, and one or more (e.g. a plurality) of slave catches 24 a. Forexample, the latch 25 can have a plurality of the catches 24 a, suchthat each of the catches 24 a are configured to constrain a respectiveone of a plurality of the secondary strikers 26 a. For example, thecatches 24 a can be mounted on the housing 37 a adjacent to one another.It is also recognized that the plurality of catches 24 a can bemisaligned with one another, i.e. they all are not positioned on thesame pivot 62. It is recognized that the striker 26′ and the one or moresecondary strikers 26 a can be separate (see FIG. 9) or can be integralwith one another as one piece (see FIG. 12). It is recognized that theplurality of secondary strikers 26 a can be separate or can be integralwith one another, as desired.

It is recognized that the ratchet 24′ can be referred to as a masterratchet 24′, such that the operation of the latch 25 is such that inmovement of the master ratchet 24′ (e.g. electronically as an elatch bythe controller 36, under influence of a biasing element upon release ofthe pawl 25′, etc.), the movement of the slave ratchet(s) 24 a is basedon the movement of the master ratchet 24′, for example as coordinated bythe linkage connecting the master ratchet 24′ to the one or more slaveratchets 24 a.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 13 a, shown is an example operation 100 ofopening a latch 25 for a closure panel 12,14 of a vehicle 10, the methodcomprising the steps of: releasing 102 a ratchet 24′ mounted to ahousing 37 of the latch 25 in order to unconstrain the ratchet 24′ froma striker 26′; moving 104 the ratchet 24′ in tandem with a catch 24 a inorder to unconstrain the catch 24 a from a secondary striker 26 a, thecatch 24 a mounted to the housing 37 (e.g. housing portion 37 a) suchthat movement of the catch 24 a is coupled to movement of the ratchet24′ by a linkage 60; and unlatching 106 the latch 25 by displacing thestriker 26′ from the ratchet 24′ while also displacing the secondarystriker 26 a from the catch 24 a.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 13 b, shown is an example operation 200 ofclosing a latch 25 for a closure panel 12,14 of a vehicle 10, the methodcomprising the steps of: entering 202 a striker 26′ in to a slot 3′ of aratchet 24′, the ratchet 24′ mounted to a housing 37 of the latch 25 inorder to constrain the striker 26′ when latched; moving 204 the ratchet24′ in tandem with a catch 24 a in order to constrain a secondarystriker 26 a by the catch 24 a, the catch 24 a mounted to the housing 37such that movement of the catch 24 a is coupled to movement of theratchet 24′ by a linkage 60; and releasably 206 latching the latch 25 byinhibiting further movement of the ratchet 24′ (e.g. by engagement witha pawl 25′) in conjunction with inhibiting further movement of the catch24 a by the linkage 60, thereby constraining the striker 26′ by theratchet 24′ while also constraining the secondary striker 26 a by thecatch 24 a.

What is claimed is:
 1. A latch (25) for a closure panel (12) of avehicle (10), the latch comprising: a housing (37); a ratchet (24′)mounted to the housing for releasably securing a striker in a slot (3′);a catch (24 a) mounted to the housing for releasably securing asecondary striker (26 a); and a linkage (60) connecting the catch to theratchet; wherein the ratchet and the catch move in tandem with oneanother via the linkage.
 2. The latch of claim 1, wherein the housing ismounted to the closure panel and the striker and the secondary strikerare mounted to a body (9) of the vehicle.
 3. The latch of claim 1,wherein the striker is separate from the secondary striker.
 4. The latchof claim 1, wherein the striker is integral with the secondary striker.5. The latch of claim 1, wherein a pivot (62) of the catch is alignedwith a shaft (50) of the ratchet.
 6. The latch of claim 1 furthercomprising the linkage having a first end (70) and a second end (72),such that the first end is connected to the catch at the pivot and thesecond end is connected to a connection (66) on the ratchet.
 7. Thelatch of claim 6/5, wherein the connection is coupled to the second endby a pin (64).
 8. The latch of claim 1, wherein a surface (76) of thesecondary striker is disengaged from an adjacent surface (74) of thecatch 24 a when the secondary striker is constrained by the catch. 9.The latch of claim 8/7, wherein a hook (68) of the catch constrains thesecondary striker when the primary striker is constrained by theratchet.
 10. The latch of claim 1 further comprising a cinch mechanism(2) for providing a force assisted close operation of the closure panelduring movement of the door.
 11. The latch of claim 10, wherein thecinch mechanism has a cinch arm 20′ configured to operate the ratchetfrom a partially closed position to a fully closed position.
 12. Thelatch of claim 11, wherein the cinch arm is coupled to the ratchet via acinch lever arm 21′.
 13. The latch of claim 11, wherein the cinch arm iscoupled to the striker via a cinch lever arm.
 14. The latch of claim 11,wherein the cinch arm is coupled to the catch via a cinch lever arm. 15.The latch of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of the catches,such that each of the catches are configured to constrain a respectiveone of a plurality of the secondary strikers.
 16. The latch of claim 1,wherein the ratchet is a master ratchet and the catch is a slaveratchet.
 17. The latch of claim 16, wherein the latch further comprisesa controller (36) for operating a corresponding actuator to assist inmovement of the master ratchet.
 18. A method of opening a latch for aclosure panel of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:releasing a ratchet mounted to a housing of the latch in order tounconstrain the ratchet from a striker; moving the ratchet in tandemwith a catch in order to unconstrain the catch from a secondary striker,the catch mounted to the housing such that movement of the catch iscoupled to movement of the ratchet by a linkage; and unlatching thelatch by displacing the striker from the ratchet while also displacingthe secondary striker from the catch.
 19. A method of closing a latchfor a closure panel of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:entering a striker in to a slot of a ratchet, the rachet mounted to ahousing of the latch in order to constrain the striker when latched;moving the ratchet in tandem with a catch in order to constrain asecondary striker by the catch, the catch mounted to the housing suchthat movement of the catch is coupled to movement of the ratchet by alinkage; and releasably latching the latch by inhibiting furthermovement of the ratchet in conjunction with inhibiting further movementof the catch by the linkage, thereby constraining the striker by theratchet while also constraining the secondary striker by the catch. 20.The method of claim 19, wherein when constrained, the striker is engagedwith the slot of the ratchet while the secondary striker is disengagedby being out of contact with the catch.